Chapter 25
Setijin, Lucia and Winona all laid back in the long, steel grated benches aligning the edge
of Mossdeep's port station. The floor was a glossed white, beaming radiantly in the suns
reflected glory, shiny metal railings fitted on the edges of the platform, the sea crashing
into the walls of the port beneath them. The port was fairly quite, only a handful of
tourists and other travelers were scattered around the area, waiting for the ship to arrive.
Setijin sat back, sleeping, Lucia lazily flicking through a magazine, crumpled and creased
from being compressed at the base of her bag, Winona playing with Natu sitting happily
in her lap.
"How long now?" Setijin tiredly asked, still leaning back with his eyes closed, a baseball
cap sloped down over the top of his face.
"Should be here any minute," Lucia replied, engrossed in her magazine.
"So what did you get up to back in Fortree then?" Winona inquired.
"Not much…stocked up on supplies, said goodbye to the folks."
"What did they say when you told them you were off to Johto?"
"Surprisingly little." Setijin sat forward, removing his hat and scratching his head,
disheveling his long hair. "Do you think there's some deep psychological trauma thing
involved?"
"I doubt it," Winona responded, continuing to play with Natu, bouncing it on her knees
like a child.
"It never really bothered me until now."
"Why does it bother you now then?" Lucia butted in.
"What if they don't like me or something?"
"Oh come on Setijin!" Winona snapped. "Who couldn't like…" Lucia and Setijin both
sat forwards, looking at Winona inquisitively.
"Who couldn't like…" Lucia grinned.
"Uhh…" Winona blushed, shifting herself to one side. "Sure, I make one mistake, and
you two pick up on it like that. Well I'm sorry! I can't help that I'm not perfect."
"Sorry, sorry," Lucia reluctantly apologized, Setijin still bent forwards.
"So you don't like me?" he asked disappointedly. Great, first my parents, now you!"
"Setijin!" Winona exclaimed, Setijin laughing in return.
"Just joking!" Winona's face became swept with frustration. Setijin looked out so sea, the
ferry, S.S.Aqua turning into the port. "It's here!" he called excitedly.
"First class food, first class pampering…first class beds!" Lucia swooned.
"Natu, Natu!" the bird chirped, Winona angrily packing her things together.
"Stupid…annoying…every little mistake I make…" she mumbled, Setijin and Lucia
smiling towards her as they ran towards the parking boat. Winona swept up Natu in her
arms, jogging behind them as the ferry came to a halt, the large steel gangway clapped
down, the staff of the ship ushering and welcoming people aboard, whilst checking
tickets. The trio approached the staff, stopping to check for tickets.
"You still have the tickets Setijin?" Winona checked.
"…tickets?"
"…yes, tickets."
"Do I have the tickets?" he repeated.
"Yes, you DO have tickets…"
"…tickets?"
"Tickets!" she snapped, Setijin laughing even harder than before, pulling them from his
pocket, Winona snatching them away. "Very angry now!" she added, stomping forwards,
arm outstretched, the tickets fanned out in her hand. The staff member checked, before
guiding them on board the ferry.
"To your left is the 1st class area, including bars, restaurants and the sleeping quarters,
and to your right is, well, the rest of the ship, with swimming pool, an even more diverse
selection of bars and restaurants, and the ships exclusive shopping center!" Lucia charged
past the rest of the group, pushing through the crowds, darting off towards her bedroom.
"She's not waiting around!" Setijin remarked.
"She wont get far," replied the staff member.
"Why not?"
"She hasn't got her room key," he chuckled, jangling the small key with gold plated fob
in front of Setijin. Setijin grabbed the keys, shaking hands with the official as he casually
followed Lucia, making sure not to rush too much.
"It's magnificent," the rocket boss relayed, examining the large steamed glass pod
installed in front of him. The room had whitewashed walls and tiled floors, desks littered
with all miscellaneous manner of items and wares, all in a long line, running through the
center of the long, thin room. Against one wall sat a series of enormous computers, with
countless dials, tiny flashing lights and reel to reels, spinning continuously, recording
data. Scientists rushed around, shuffling through clipboards of files and papers discarded
onto piles of rubbish, the only two figures standing still being the boss and the 'select
scientist'.
"Soon enough, once all our systems are up to maximum efficiency, we shall completed
the connections, and phase one of the experiment will be underway," the scientist
explained, adjusting his chunky, thick-rimmed glasses.
"And once the energy flowing in reaches the right level…"
"…The hatches will have opened and the subject shall start receiving chunks of
information via the energy, increasing its capabilities, performance…with enough power,
it will become unstoppable." The boss stepped closer, cupping his hands around his eyes,
peering into the chamber.
"Won't the side-effects of the field pokémon be copied into this one?"
"There is a slight possibility that some, 'feedback' if you will, will destroy some of the
data, but we feel entirely confident that these filters will only supply the subject with the
information we want it to receive."
"Perfect…how long do you estimate until systems are online, and then in turn how long
until we can take this precious little thing for a 'test drive'?"
"Well, we need to make sure we're getting a constant stream of resources from the field,
and the results of the tests on the machine itself need to be verified, but if things go as
planned, the data transfer shall begin in about a weeks time."
"A week?"
"Well, we do need to make sure everything is running as it should; if we have
fluctuations in the intake, we could receive the equivalent of a power surge, the results of
which can be devastating."
"Very well…"
"Once everything is up and running however, the process itself should take no more than
a few days."
"Excellent!" the boss stepped backwards, slapping the Scientist on the back. "If this pulls
through, you're going to be right up there at the top of things!" he beamed. The scientist
smiled gleefully.
"Really?"
"Sure! Of course, if things go down the pan…well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest…"
The boss walked off, leaving the room, the smile dying from the scientists face.
"Yippee…" he responded sarcastically, turning back to the pod. "Not long now, eh?" he
whispered to it, lifting the clipboard in his hand, jotting down a series of readings from
the dials on the wall in front of him.
Winona stood at the side of the ship, resting on the metal railings around the edge. She
sequentially stared down at the waves lapping at the helm of the ship, then looking back
up at the skies, the snow-white clouds sailing past, overshadowing then revealing the sun
as they passed. Her long purple pigtail blew vibrantly in the wind, brushing against her
bare neck, her small blue jacket unzipped, revealing her navy blue top, the tips of her
jacket flapping past her short shorts. Behind her stood the groups room, and small glass
door standing closed, leading into the corridor of the ship. Setijin stepped out of the door,
gently closing it behind him, approaching the solemn Winona. He tapped her on the
shoulder, before walking around to the railings next to her, donning the same position:
arms folded over the side, head sloped down, gazing at the foam beneath them.
"What's up?" he quietly asked. She shuffled uncomfortably.
"Nothing really."
"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I took fun just a little bit too far. We didn't mean
to make you angry."
"It's not that…" she sighed. Setijin turned intently, waiting for her to continue.
"Well then, something is bothering you. What is it? It's not going to do you any good
keeping it quiet." Winona looked back at him, gazing into his big sea blue eyes, his long
shady brown hair wafting in front of his face.
"I guess I just feel…lonely…"
"What are you talking about? Lucia and I are here with you…sure we're not going to see
her for the next few days, with the shops and all." Winona chuckled sweetly, before
looking back up, holding her hair back behind her neck.
"I mean lonely-lonely…"
"Oh, THAT kind of lonely."
"I guess I've never really felt this way before because I've never spent this much time out
and about with other…people before."
"Ah…"
"I don't know if its just confusion, hormones or what talking, but…"
"I think I see where this is going…"
"Setijin…" she whispered. He leant forward, blushing slightly as he softly replied:
"Winona…"
"…psyche!" Setijin jumped backwards in horror, his face erupting in red.
"That was sick, cruel, embarrassing and demeaning!" he cried.
"I know…and it only took 5 minutes to think up!" she laughed. Setijin turned away,
Winona sympathetically walking up behind him, throwing her arms around his neck,
resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to look away. "Sorry matey boy," she
sniggered. "It's sweet that you felt like that though. Did you really mean it?"
"No matter what I say, you're only going to hear what you want to hear!" he sulked.
"So yes then…"
"You see!" Setijin stormed off, slamming the glass door behind him, Winona still
chuckling, Natu hopping up to her feet, tapping them to gain her attention.
"Natu…" it whined.
"What? He deserved it…they did the same to me earlier!"
"Tu…"
"…But I guess it was Lucia that suggested it…and that was a little cruel."
"Natu!"
"I've messed up, haven't I?" she evaluated sadly. Natu closed its eyes and nodded. "I
suppose I'm going to have to try and patch things up…"
"Tu, tu."
"You don't think this is one of those forever things, do you?" Natu stayed still, wriggling
as if to shrug undecidedly. Silence hung over the two as the waves of the ocean continued
to crackle.
"Natu?"
"It's not as if it wasn't a total lie," she sighed, making her way back into the ships
corridor, easing the door to behind her.
Setijin, Lucia and Winona all laid back in the long, steel grated benches aligning the edge
of Mossdeep's port station. The floor was a glossed white, beaming radiantly in the suns
reflected glory, shiny metal railings fitted on the edges of the platform, the sea crashing
into the walls of the port beneath them. The port was fairly quite, only a handful of
tourists and other travelers were scattered around the area, waiting for the ship to arrive.
Setijin sat back, sleeping, Lucia lazily flicking through a magazine, crumpled and creased
from being compressed at the base of her bag, Winona playing with Natu sitting happily
in her lap.
"How long now?" Setijin tiredly asked, still leaning back with his eyes closed, a baseball
cap sloped down over the top of his face.
"Should be here any minute," Lucia replied, engrossed in her magazine.
"So what did you get up to back in Fortree then?" Winona inquired.
"Not much…stocked up on supplies, said goodbye to the folks."
"What did they say when you told them you were off to Johto?"
"Surprisingly little." Setijin sat forward, removing his hat and scratching his head,
disheveling his long hair. "Do you think there's some deep psychological trauma thing
involved?"
"I doubt it," Winona responded, continuing to play with Natu, bouncing it on her knees
like a child.
"It never really bothered me until now."
"Why does it bother you now then?" Lucia butted in.
"What if they don't like me or something?"
"Oh come on Setijin!" Winona snapped. "Who couldn't like…" Lucia and Setijin both
sat forwards, looking at Winona inquisitively.
"Who couldn't like…" Lucia grinned.
"Uhh…" Winona blushed, shifting herself to one side. "Sure, I make one mistake, and
you two pick up on it like that. Well I'm sorry! I can't help that I'm not perfect."
"Sorry, sorry," Lucia reluctantly apologized, Setijin still bent forwards.
"So you don't like me?" he asked disappointedly. Great, first my parents, now you!"
"Setijin!" Winona exclaimed, Setijin laughing in return.
"Just joking!" Winona's face became swept with frustration. Setijin looked out so sea, the
ferry, S.S.Aqua turning into the port. "It's here!" he called excitedly.
"First class food, first class pampering…first class beds!" Lucia swooned.
"Natu, Natu!" the bird chirped, Winona angrily packing her things together.
"Stupid…annoying…every little mistake I make…" she mumbled, Setijin and Lucia
smiling towards her as they ran towards the parking boat. Winona swept up Natu in her
arms, jogging behind them as the ferry came to a halt, the large steel gangway clapped
down, the staff of the ship ushering and welcoming people aboard, whilst checking
tickets. The trio approached the staff, stopping to check for tickets.
"You still have the tickets Setijin?" Winona checked.
"…tickets?"
"…yes, tickets."
"Do I have the tickets?" he repeated.
"Yes, you DO have tickets…"
"…tickets?"
"Tickets!" she snapped, Setijin laughing even harder than before, pulling them from his
pocket, Winona snatching them away. "Very angry now!" she added, stomping forwards,
arm outstretched, the tickets fanned out in her hand. The staff member checked, before
guiding them on board the ferry.
"To your left is the 1st class area, including bars, restaurants and the sleeping quarters,
and to your right is, well, the rest of the ship, with swimming pool, an even more diverse
selection of bars and restaurants, and the ships exclusive shopping center!" Lucia charged
past the rest of the group, pushing through the crowds, darting off towards her bedroom.
"She's not waiting around!" Setijin remarked.
"She wont get far," replied the staff member.
"Why not?"
"She hasn't got her room key," he chuckled, jangling the small key with gold plated fob
in front of Setijin. Setijin grabbed the keys, shaking hands with the official as he casually
followed Lucia, making sure not to rush too much.
"It's magnificent," the rocket boss relayed, examining the large steamed glass pod
installed in front of him. The room had whitewashed walls and tiled floors, desks littered
with all miscellaneous manner of items and wares, all in a long line, running through the
center of the long, thin room. Against one wall sat a series of enormous computers, with
countless dials, tiny flashing lights and reel to reels, spinning continuously, recording
data. Scientists rushed around, shuffling through clipboards of files and papers discarded
onto piles of rubbish, the only two figures standing still being the boss and the 'select
scientist'.
"Soon enough, once all our systems are up to maximum efficiency, we shall completed
the connections, and phase one of the experiment will be underway," the scientist
explained, adjusting his chunky, thick-rimmed glasses.
"And once the energy flowing in reaches the right level…"
"…The hatches will have opened and the subject shall start receiving chunks of
information via the energy, increasing its capabilities, performance…with enough power,
it will become unstoppable." The boss stepped closer, cupping his hands around his eyes,
peering into the chamber.
"Won't the side-effects of the field pokémon be copied into this one?"
"There is a slight possibility that some, 'feedback' if you will, will destroy some of the
data, but we feel entirely confident that these filters will only supply the subject with the
information we want it to receive."
"Perfect…how long do you estimate until systems are online, and then in turn how long
until we can take this precious little thing for a 'test drive'?"
"Well, we need to make sure we're getting a constant stream of resources from the field,
and the results of the tests on the machine itself need to be verified, but if things go as
planned, the data transfer shall begin in about a weeks time."
"A week?"
"Well, we do need to make sure everything is running as it should; if we have
fluctuations in the intake, we could receive the equivalent of a power surge, the results of
which can be devastating."
"Very well…"
"Once everything is up and running however, the process itself should take no more than
a few days."
"Excellent!" the boss stepped backwards, slapping the Scientist on the back. "If this pulls
through, you're going to be right up there at the top of things!" he beamed. The scientist
smiled gleefully.
"Really?"
"Sure! Of course, if things go down the pan…well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest…"
The boss walked off, leaving the room, the smile dying from the scientists face.
"Yippee…" he responded sarcastically, turning back to the pod. "Not long now, eh?" he
whispered to it, lifting the clipboard in his hand, jotting down a series of readings from
the dials on the wall in front of him.
Winona stood at the side of the ship, resting on the metal railings around the edge. She
sequentially stared down at the waves lapping at the helm of the ship, then looking back
up at the skies, the snow-white clouds sailing past, overshadowing then revealing the sun
as they passed. Her long purple pigtail blew vibrantly in the wind, brushing against her
bare neck, her small blue jacket unzipped, revealing her navy blue top, the tips of her
jacket flapping past her short shorts. Behind her stood the groups room, and small glass
door standing closed, leading into the corridor of the ship. Setijin stepped out of the door,
gently closing it behind him, approaching the solemn Winona. He tapped her on the
shoulder, before walking around to the railings next to her, donning the same position:
arms folded over the side, head sloped down, gazing at the foam beneath them.
"What's up?" he quietly asked. She shuffled uncomfortably.
"Nothing really."
"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I took fun just a little bit too far. We didn't mean
to make you angry."
"It's not that…" she sighed. Setijin turned intently, waiting for her to continue.
"Well then, something is bothering you. What is it? It's not going to do you any good
keeping it quiet." Winona looked back at him, gazing into his big sea blue eyes, his long
shady brown hair wafting in front of his face.
"I guess I just feel…lonely…"
"What are you talking about? Lucia and I are here with you…sure we're not going to see
her for the next few days, with the shops and all." Winona chuckled sweetly, before
looking back up, holding her hair back behind her neck.
"I mean lonely-lonely…"
"Oh, THAT kind of lonely."
"I guess I've never really felt this way before because I've never spent this much time out
and about with other…people before."
"Ah…"
"I don't know if its just confusion, hormones or what talking, but…"
"I think I see where this is going…"
"Setijin…" she whispered. He leant forward, blushing slightly as he softly replied:
"Winona…"
"…psyche!" Setijin jumped backwards in horror, his face erupting in red.
"That was sick, cruel, embarrassing and demeaning!" he cried.
"I know…and it only took 5 minutes to think up!" she laughed. Setijin turned away,
Winona sympathetically walking up behind him, throwing her arms around his neck,
resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to look away. "Sorry matey boy," she
sniggered. "It's sweet that you felt like that though. Did you really mean it?"
"No matter what I say, you're only going to hear what you want to hear!" he sulked.
"So yes then…"
"You see!" Setijin stormed off, slamming the glass door behind him, Winona still
chuckling, Natu hopping up to her feet, tapping them to gain her attention.
"Natu…" it whined.
"What? He deserved it…they did the same to me earlier!"
"Tu…"
"…But I guess it was Lucia that suggested it…and that was a little cruel."
"Natu!"
"I've messed up, haven't I?" she evaluated sadly. Natu closed its eyes and nodded. "I
suppose I'm going to have to try and patch things up…"
"Tu, tu."
"You don't think this is one of those forever things, do you?" Natu stayed still, wriggling
as if to shrug undecidedly. Silence hung over the two as the waves of the ocean continued
to crackle.
"Natu?"
"It's not as if it wasn't a total lie," she sighed, making her way back into the ships
corridor, easing the door to behind her.